Bayern Munich halted Freiburg’s impressive home form by defeating them 3-1, reclaiming the Bundesliga summit and intensifying the title race with Borussia Dortmund ahead of their direct showdown.
The victory at the Europa-Park Stadion came as part of the seventh round, marking the Bavarian side’s first match following the health scare that sidelined Vincent Kompany, with his assistant Aaron Danks taking charge from the dugout.
Dayot Upamecano opened the scoring in the 16th minute after exchanging passes with Michael Olise, before Serge Gnabry doubled the advantage in the 42nd minute by capitalizing on a pass from Nathaniel Brown, scoring his 100th Bundesliga goal and handing Bayern a comfortable cushion before halftime.
Freiburg worked their way back into the match through an own goal by Tom Bischof in the 82nd minute, prompting the hosts to push for an equalizer. However, goalkeeper Jonas Urbig made a crucial save in stoppage time before Olise sealed the victory with a third goal in the 95th minute.
Bayern inflicted Freiburg’s first home defeat of the league season, after the hosts had won all three of their previous matches in front of their supporters, scoring 11 goals and conceding just two. Despite the loss, Freiburg retained third place with 13 points, sitting ahead of Bayer Leverkusen on goal difference.
Bayern raised their tally to 17 points, moving ahead of Dortmund—who are level on points—thanks to a superior goal difference of +19 compared to their rivals’ +8. Both teams boast five wins and two draws from seven rounds, with Bayern netting 25 goals and conceding six.
The win was achieved in the absence of Kompany, who was hospitalized after losing consciousness on Friday while observing the reserve team’s training session. Danks said of his condition prior to the match: “His condition is stable, and he feels better day by day. Tests are ongoing, but the indicators are very positive.”
Bayern now faces consecutive fixtures at the Allianz Arena, hosting Magdeburg on Wednesday, October 28, in the second round of the DFB-Pokal, followed by a clash against Dortmund on Saturday, October 31, in a Der Klassiker that will dictate the upper hand in the title race.
Following that, the Bavarians will travel to Spain to face Atlético Madrid on Tuesday, November 3, in the fourth matchday of the UEFA Champions League league phase, before visiting Mainz on Saturday, November 7, in the Bundesliga, marking their final fixture before the upcoming international break.
